Mrunali Ketanbhai Doshi, Shirin Fozdar Scholarship and NR Thadani Scholarship Recipient

Having a good education was important for my family and me. The unique and rigourous pedagogy at SMU paired with the soft skills acquired as a student really impressed me when I was applying for university within and outside of India. The balance of academics and co-curricular activities was the kind of holistic student experience I was looking for when I was applying for university. 

With the awareness that my parents were striving to give me the best education possible, I knew international tuition was more expensive and I wanted to do all I could to reduce their financial burden. I submitted an application for my first scholarship when I was applying to SMU and then again in my second year. Being a recipient of financial aid has helped me manage my own expenses sensibly and make academics and student commitments my priorities at SMU. 

The scholarships I received have been valuable for me. They motivated me to work harder and make the most of my student life at SMU. I was more confident about my capabilities which encouraged me to achieve the things I wanted. 

In fact, the internship I am undergoing now is partially be due to my scholarships. I had the time to explore my interests in my first year, learning about digital marketing through Avente Consulting Club. The club is a student-led organisation that trains students in marketing technology who would in turn help local businesses. My training and consulting experience eventually got me interning for the company I wanted to join and first heard about through the same club. 

Since SMU has given me so much, I wanted to give back to the university. After receiving my scholarship, I joined the SMU Economics Intelligence Club as a research head. Economics is a subject close to my heart and research was something I was interested in so I used my expertise to guide juniors in writing research articles. 

Mrunali Ketanbhai Doshi, BSc(Econ), Shirin Fozdar Scholarship Recipient 2018 and NR Thadani Scholarship Recipient 2019